Fourteen initiates were taken to Vihiga County Referral Hospital for over bleeding.
The initiates were among those initiated in the Maragoli circumcision exercise that kicked off this week in Vihiga.
The Medical Superintendent Emmanuel Ayodi, said that the initiates were majorly brought for corrective surgery and noted that twelve were discharged and two are still admitted as one boy was transfused.
“We have received some patients who had complications from the customary circumcision and were brought here mainly for corrective surgery and some with excessive bleeding,’’said Ayodi. “Corrections were done on them and they are now in stable condition.’’
He explained that those initiates were circumcised inappropriately and were greatly affected leading to excessive bleeding especially at the night.
Ayodi recalled that they had conducted health education regarding the exercise in line with health policy to ensure it is conducted well.
He advised parents with kids awaiting initiation to circumcise their boys at hospitals rather than the traditional practice that will bring such complications.
He observed that the Referral facility had been conducting circumcision exercise with no complications.
Ayodi added that parents should ensure their initiates receive tetanus injection before undergoing the cut a move that some parents had raised an alarm after it was alleged that some initiates had not received the vaccine.
“Parents should vaccinate their kids against tetanus before the cut,’’ he said, “We have received some information that some initiates are being circumcised and taken to their homes without vaccination.’’
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The county’s health department gave ago ahead to the exercise after training and facilitating the circumcisors with surgical blades and gloves as opposed to the knives that had been previously used.
Over four thousand boys have been initiated in the ongoing practice.
According to the community’s communication chair John Ngori, most of them are aged between two and fifteen years.
